Who: Malika Handa
Education: Currently pursuing a BA from Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya, Jalandhar, Punjab.
Do you know how to play chess? Chess players are very logical and analytical thinkers who are usually very smart. That’s why it’s easy to believe that Malika Handa is a chess champion!
Malika grew up in a small town in Punjab called Jalandhar. She studied at the Khosla School for the Deaf and has been hearing impaired from birth. Despite her disability, Malika is always excited about learning and experiencing new things. Her love for chess is a great example of this.
Though she started playing chess only in 2010, she has already become a champion in the field. One day, when she was still in school, her father brought home a chess board and began to play with her cousin. Fascinated with the game, she too learned the rules and began playing. Soon, she was beating all of them – including her father – in a few quick moves. The student had become a master! Her parents, realising that she was gifted, started encouraging her to play professionally.
Today, Malika has been the national champion thrice. She has also won a silver medal at the World Championship for the deaf. She is the Asian champion after winning the Asian Individual Chess Championship for the deaf, and the winner of the World Individual Open Deaf Chess Championships 2016.
Malika is determined not to let her disability get in the way of her success and in addition to playing in chess competitions all over the world, she has also started attending college. We can wait to see what this future Grand Master does next!
Long Story Short
- Malika is a hearing impaired chess champion who was born and brought up in Jalandhar, Punjab.
- Malika started playing chess in 2010 and is already a world champion.
- She began playing professionally thanks to her parent’s encouragement.
- She is also studying to get her undergraduate degree at Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya.
- Malika doesn’t allow her disability to get in the way of her success. She lives life to the fullest like a real champion!